Paris Marathon, 9th April 2006
STUBBINGTON's Nick Davies enjoyed springtime in Paris to compete in the 30th running of the Marathon de Paris.
Nick joined 30,000 competitors for this popular race around the streets of the French capital which was watched by an estimated 200,000 spectators.
According to the organisers, 84 different musical entertainments provided a festive mood along the race route which started from the Champs-Élysées, heading along the banks of the River Seine, and capturing many of the sights of this picturesque city. Spring-like conditions provided perfect conditions for the race.
Nick recorded an official time of 3hrs 43min 46sec for 11,393rd place, ticking over the miles at an average pace of 8min 32sec.
This was Nick's third marathon in 12 months. After a disappointing outing at London last April, he managed to keep his training going for a further two months to compete at the Edinburgh Marathon last June to clock 3:42.16 for 949th place.
A total of 1,500 runners ducked under three hours, with 27-year-old Ethiopian Gashaw Melese winning the event in a personal best 2:08.03 and Russian Irina Timofeyeva taking the women's event in 2:27.22.